OLLI at MSU Friday Forum: Understanding and Managing Local Urban Camping

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Montana State University will host a presentation on “Understanding and Managing Local Urban Camping” during its monthly Friday Forum on Friday, October 13, 2023, on Zoom. The event will take place from noon to 1:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

HRDC Housing Director Brian Guyer and Bozeman City Manager Jeff Mihelich will discuss the history and challenges regarding urban camping in Bozeman. It is influenced by several issues facing the city: affordable housing, the worker shortage, and the high cost of living in Bozeman. Understanding and managing local urban camping also informs the need and planning for local services and housing.

Guyer and Mihelich will also address the recent city ordinance intended to manage the use of city streets and other public spaces for urban camping and answer questions on this important and timely local issue.

Jeff Mihelich began as Bozeman’s city manager on May 26, 2020. He is a credentialed city manager with the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). He has 28 years of experience in large cities, small towns, and counties, including his most recent term as deputy city manager and chief operating officer of Fort Collins, Colorado.

Brian Guyer has worked for HRDC since 2015. Before his role at HRDC, he worked for an affordable housing non-profit in Park City, Utah. He has a degree in political science from Baldwin-Wallace University in Ohio. Alongside his work at HRDC, Guyer has served on the board of Trust Montana, a statewide community land trust working to build up a permanently affordable stock of agricultural properties, commercial spaces, and quality homes for Montanans. He has also served on the City of Bozeman Affordable Housing Advisory Board.

OLLI at MSU Friday Forums occur monthly, September through May, on Zoom and are free and open to the public. Participants must register before 11 a.m. Friday, October 13. For more information or to register, visit montana.edu/olli/offerings/ or call 406-994-6550. Upon registration confirmation, participants will receive an email from Zoom with the link and instructions on joining the program.